Like political parties, the NRL has an elite eight where everyone has a dreaded rival, as well as someone else they enjoy dominating. As the play-off bound teams enter the final round of the regular season, these personal battles threaten a re-ordering of the positions on the finals ladder. The bogey team meetings begin on Thursday when the fifth-placed Eels […]

Star Essendon on-baller Maddy Prespakis says facing her old side when the Bombers play Carlton on Sunday will be “a spicy game”, but it’s one she’s looking forward to. “I’m still friends with some of the girls from Carlton, so it’d be good to see them and play against them… Obviously I haven’t seen them really since [leaving the Blues] […]

In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news: Demons ready to display their “ruthless edge” against Swans Dustin Martin is closing in on a finals return All-Australian skipper Tom Hawkins dismisses Cats’ horror finals record Check back throughout the day for further updates Demons ready to display ruthless edge: Viney Jon Pierik Melbourne vice-captain Jack Viney has declared […]

South Sydney won’t name Damien Cook for their final-round grudge match against the Roosters despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hinting the COVID-19 isolation period could be cut from seven to five days before the end of the week. It comes as the Penrith Panthers look set to rest up to 12 of the 17 players that defeated the New Zealand […]

Collingwood midfielder Taylor Adams is confident he will return from a groin injury to play against Geelong in Saturday’s qualifying final if he gets through Tuesday and Thursday’s training sessions without a hiccup. The noted finals’ performer said he had “made good progress” in the past 10 days as he stepped up his training having missed the final three games […]

Accor Stadium: A sickening high shot by Coen Hess on Campbell Graham compounded a horror night for North Queensland. The Cowboys needed to beat the Rabbitohs on Saturday night to remain second on the NRL ladder, with a qualifying final in their Townsville backyard up for grabs. But Todd Payten’s men, who finished the game with 11 players, lost 20-10 […]

On Tuesday, Alastair Clarkson rocked into Arden Street to speak to the North Melbourne players as a group for the first time since being appointed coach. He was roughly the same height but not as nervous as he had been when he arrived at the club 35 years earlier as a young lad from Kaniva with a healthy ego and […]

Bronwyn Gulden is grappling with what she describes as an “amazing” problem to have over the next few weeks. Her youngest son, Errol, has an AFL finals campaign ahead of him, and her eldest, Adam, is hunting a reserve-grade premiership in the VFL – but she might not be able to watch either journey unfold in person, because she’ll be […]

South Sydney have turned to Australian cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia for inspiration in their bid for premiership glory. Opetaia was invited to address the Rabbitohs on Friday morning to share his story in a bid to motivate the side before the big season-ending games, which begin against the Cowboys on Saturday. A huge Souths fan, Opetaia showed off the […]

Kennedy Cherrington means it when she says she has “a second chance at life”. “I was basically told I was never going to see past the age of eight to 10,” the Parramatta Eels prop told the Herald. But now Cherrington, born with a congenital heart defect, is the heartbeat of the Parramatta pack leading into their NRLW clash with […]